Psyche
by kumabe
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is on the verge of death, yet something extraordinary happens that will change not only his life but also the people around him. Watch as he travels a new world, trains and gains powers no shinobi knew of only to return to Konoha to kick ass.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

The violent surge of resistance and power the Kyuubi emitted overwhelmed Naruto. His body shook in agony, wanting the Kyuubi to give up and let go of their life. It was so excruciatingly painful even Naruto no longer wanted to live. He had kept his promise and fought Sasuke until the end to bring him back, but the battle had not shown mercy. Naruto suffered an attack aimed straight at his heart, making even the great Kyuubi's charkra insufficient to heal. It would have been possible, but the seals that restricted Kyuubi prevented anymore of his demonic chakra to seep out of the bars that confined him.

Thus, Naruto lay in the forest unable to do anything to stop the cold and pain. One would think someone would find him by now, but it felt like hours and there had been no presence of any living being. He still had so many more things to do, to say, to accomplish, but as he lay there feeling betrayed and lonesome, he had wanted nothing more but to welcome death with open arms.

The Kyuubi on the other hand had not been as passive as him, instead he fought death and would not allow it to consume them. Kyuubi's internal battle was not only deafening but also inevitably painful; his thunderous loud shrieks left Naruto's mind in a jumble of chaos, his unremitting explosions of chakra left Naruto's body in uncontrollable spasmodic motions. Until, something extraordinary and completely unorthodox took place right then and there. A rare phenomenon that is thought of as not only impracticable but also impossible became possible with the help of Kyuubi's persistence chakra.

Due to the mass explosion of enormous demonic energy and will power that escaped Naruto's body, the air around him churned in a spontaneous reaction and sent Naruto through a dark space of disorderly sites until he landed, unconscious, in a completely different universe from his own; Kurakara town.

A/N: Thanks for reading :) Sorry it's so short but, hope you enjoyed it :D Will try to update soon


	2. Chapter 1: Kage-Bunshin no jutsu!

**Chapter 1: Kage-bunshin no jutsu!**

Urahara Kisuke (lollipop and all) was woken up in discomfort. It had been a peaceful morning in Kurakara and he was in a nice relaxing sleep until he felt a very strong reiatsu presence not too far away. It was similar to that of a hollow, yet it was not tainted as such, but neither was it pure like a shinigami's. He left the comfort of his shop and decided to investigate this. Following the immense amount of spiritual energy he found a young blonde haired boy unconscious on the side of the road.

Even in the dusk of dawn, the boy wasn't hard to notice for he wore bright orange clothing and was bleeding profoundly. The whisker marks on either side of his face intrigued Kisuke, but no more than the fact that the small boy was releasing this much reiatsu. Kisuke decided to stop the bleeding for now, and carried Naruto back to his candy shop.

When the kid woke up Kisuke was interested to say the least. The spiritual energy increased as he became conscious and it seemed he had absolutely no control of it. Kisuke had to set up a barrier so not to attract anyone with this strange reiatsu. Even though he was definitely a human, the shocking icy blue eyes, claw like teeth, slightly pointed ears and whisker marks indicated that he could have been a hollow, but Kisuke was certain he was alive. The boy had woken up confused and uncertain of where he was and how he had ended up there.

"I found you bleeding on the road kid. Badly, I might add," Kisuke explained.

The boy proceeded to clutch his heart, where Kisuke had healed the strange cuts. It wasn't easy. The wound looked as if a thousand tiny blades had struck the boy's chest, making it look as if his heart had exploded into millions of shards. The boy's eyes narrowed and his pupils dilated as if he was focusing on something far away.

Unknown to Kisuke, Naruto tried to contact the fox. Where was he? Who was this person? What the hell happened that caused him to lay unconscious on a road? Unfortunately there was something; a wall of some sort that seemed to block any form of communication to the fox. Naruto would have panicked, but after going through so many challenges as a kid, he looked up ready to take this one. However the only thing he could think of asking was; whether he died or not. Of course, being Naruto he did not hesitate to ask the strange blonde man, who had been silently eating his lollipop but now eyed Naruto with a very bemused expression.

"Not as far as I'm concerned. Who are ya anyway kid?"

Naruto hesitated. Not sure if he should trust this man, but decided giving his name wouldn't be such a big deal, seeing as the man had saved his life, somehow.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he curtly replied.

"Right, I'm Urahara Kisuke. Nice to meet you," the man said smiling, holding out a hand to shake Naruto's.

Naruto politely took the offer and shook his hand. He half expected Kisuke to pull some crazy jutsu or trick of some kind as his appearance consisting of a very suspicious hat, unusual cane and yukata type clothing attire was not very reassuring as to which village he may have belonged to. He was about to ask, but was interrupted by a loud noise that rang through his ears, making him lose his hearing for a few seconds. Out of reflex he clutched his ears to shield them from the noise. Kisuke noticed this, confused, only to hear the same noise a millisecond later, concluding that whoever this boy was, he was not normal. To think that Naruto would have heard a hollow before he did was… perplexing.

Kisuke immediately stood up, along with Naruto who winced in pain at the throb he received from doing so.

"Idiot, don't open up the wound I spent so long stitching!" Kisuke scolded, even more interested that Naruto, a mere boy (a midget he might add) had not even been shaken by such a powerful sound that clearly came from a hollow, but instead had got up with a determined looking face.

"W-what was that?!" Naruto asked, clearly confused, still clutching his now throbbing heart. He left a mental note to complain to Kyuubi for healing small cuts unnecessarily but ditching him when he really needed the healing.

"A hollow. It's probably here after feeling your reiatsu," Kisuke stated, more to himself than to Naruto. "Stay here," he said firmly, not looking at Naruto.

Kisuke hurried out of his shop to face the hollow. Naruto followed still clutching his heart, neglecting what Kisuke had told him. He was too curious as to what a hollow was to bother with the aching pain let alone follow the orders of a stranger he just met (regarding the fact that that same man saved his life).

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. His mind trying to make sense of the sight before him. What the hell was this thing? He had seen a fair amount of monstrous and deadly looking creatures; the Bijuu and some of Orochimaru's subjects to name a few, but this "hollow" was nothing like what he had ever seen. It looked to Naruto more like a large cold-blooded reptile and its disgustingly long tongue that hung out of its mouth, eerily reminded him of Orochimaru. He sneered at the thought, immediately hating the "hollow" for this mere fact. Before he knew it, Kisuke had killed the hollow with a strong slash to its head with his cane. It happened so quick, it only registered in Naruto's mind when the hollow had started disappearing into nothing but ashes.

"You're bleeding again," Kisuke stated sounding a little irritated, no doubt at having to stitch the wounds up again. He let out a long and hearty sigh as he motioned Naruto to follow him back inside.

* * *

"Wait, hold on a sec. You're telling me that those things eat souls to become stronger?!" Naruto questioned still not understanding a single thing the blonde man was sprouting. Although Naruto wasn't the best at his studies, if such a thing existed he would have at least vaguely heard of it. But he hasn't, and no one he met in his 13 years have said anything similar to what Kisuke was saying.

"I don't think I quite follow you," Naruto said, "Last thing I remember I was lying in the forest dying and-"

"Forest?" Kisuke questioned. "I found you on the road," he said frowning, clearly remembering the bleeding Naruto unconscious on the side of the road where he had picked him up.

Confused as hell, Naruto asked, "Where am I anyways?"

"My candy shop in Kurakara town," Kisuke answered not really seeing how this could help the situation.

"Umm, Kurakara town? Is that like close to Konoha?" Naruto asked sheepishly, internally cursing himself for falling asleep during every geography class back in the academy, it's not like he could read a map anyways.

Seeing Kisuke's bewildered expression, Naruto added, " You know, the Fire nation? Konohagakure?"

"Konoha doesn't ring a bell, and I've never heard of anything like the Fire nation before," Kisuke replied honestly, and started to fan himself in an attempt to cool his head.

Alarmed at what he had just heard, Naruto abruptly threw his arms in the air. "What?! How can you not have heard of the Fire nation and still live in the Five elemental nations!? Wait, aren't you a ninja, because from the fight just now I'm pretty sure you are one! Which village are you from anyway? Why don't you have a headband-"

"Wow, slow down kid," Kisuke cut in, a little amused at Naruto's reaction. "I don't know what you're talking about, but we are definitely not in the Five elemental nations, and I'm pretty sure I'm not a ninja. Maybe you hit your head when you fell. There's no such thing as ninjas in this world. Not that I've heard of at least," Kisuke calmly replied.

Naruto sat down on his futon, exasperated at the things he was hearing. He wasn't in the Five elemental nations anymore? There's no such thing as ninjas? His pupils dilated again as he tried to contact Kyuubi. He felt it was the only way to keep him sane now, because he was starting to believe that he might not be, seeing as Kisuke was so sure of himself. But, Kyuubi was still unreachable.

"But…ninjas do exist. I'm a ninja from Konoha. Uzumaki Naruto the great," Naruto finally said pointing to himself with his thumb, not sure what else to say to Kisuke's reasoning.

Kisuke quirked an eyebrow. From the way Naruto was saying things, it really did seem he believed himself to be a ninja and this Konoha place really existed. But, that was ridiculous. Kisuke has lived for many years and never heard of such a thing or place; ninjas yes, but only the fictional type. He decided to test Naruto out.

"Prove it. Prove that you're a ninja," Kisuke said, his tone challenging.

Kisuke wasn't expecting much when Naruto had said a simple 'sure' and proceeded to make a weird sign with his index fingers.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled.

A/N: Thanks for reading :) (Sorry if it's too short, but I prefer writing and reading short chapters :P)

INFO: The time the Naruto world is set in, is when Sasuke left, and Rookie nine was sent to get him back. Naruto fights with Sasuke and instead of failing he defeats him leaving Sasuke unconscious and Naruto dying. The time the Bleach world is set in is before everything starts (before Rukia was introduced and before Ichigo first gained shinigami powers etc.)


	3. Chapter 2: Chain of Fate

**Chapter 2: Chain of Fate**

A puff of smoke, and Kisuke felt a swirl of spiritual energy. It surprised him how it was being controlled; separating into different entities only to suddenly dissipate into thin air. The smoke cleared and he was confused to see Naruto grinning like an idiot.

"What did that do?" Kisuke asked genuinely interested.

"Can't you see?" Naruto replied smiling and pointed behind him, then followed Kisuke's eyes behind to the empty room, there was nothing there; no shadow clones, not even a trace. Naruto blinked, blinked again, rubbed his eyes with the back of his palm and blinked a couple more.

"WHAAAAT?" he exclaimed loudly.

First he was confused, but now he was starting to panic. Why didn't it work? What happened to his chakra? He was starting to believe he wasn't in the Five Elemental Nations anymore, but his reasoning couldn't understand how such a thing was possible. Unable to dismiss the fact, he started to doubt the blonde man. Maybe, Kisuke was behind all this? Maybe this man was actually preventing him from using his jutsus.

A little nervous, Naruto cautiously turned around, only to be hit in the forehead with Kisuke's cane separating his soul from his body, leaving a small red circular mark.

Caught by surprise, Naruto reached up to rub his forehead. It had hurt. "W-what was that for?" he asked, not noticing his real body limp on the floor.

Kisuke stared back at him in disbelief. There was no chain of fate connecting Naruto's soul to his body; his bandaged chest void of any hole or chain. How was this even possible? He was sure Naruto wasn't dead; he definitely wasn't a hollow either. Kisuke started to wonder where this "Konohagakure" place was, to inhibit such a being and contemplated the very slight chance that it was a place that did not exist in this world. Another world, or even another universe perhaps, but the thought itself was so unbelievable he couldn't grasp the idea wholly.

Naruto glared at him expectantly, wanting an explanation, until he noticed his real body lying on the floor…dead?

"W-what the…w-what did you do?" he whispered, not knowing what else to say or do in his dumbfounded state.

Kisuke sighed.

* * *

It wasn't easy for Kisuke to explain everything about Shinigami's and souls to Naruto. It was like telling an infant about the world he had just been born into. It wasn't easy for Naruto either; to keep up with the ridiculous amount of information and facts that were being thrown at him. Naruto was a fast learner when it came to techniques and physical activities, but when it was things that required him to pay attention and listen carefully he was a lost cause.

The sun had already started rising, and only when the streets started to fill with busy citizens going about their daily routine, did Naruto finally register the information into his thick stubborn head. In return, Naruto told Kisuke about the place he came from; the shinobi world. Naruto noticed the blonde man seemed to be in concentrated deep thought.

Naruto decided to trust this man as there was nothing else he could do, without any other knowledge of this world. He wondered what might be happening in Konoha and was sure Kakashi-sensei found Sasuke knocked out and probably took him back to the village. He needed to go back, but how was he supposed to? Thinking about it made his head hurt, so instead Naruto decided to explore this new world. Kisuke on the other hand had other plans in mind.

"It's great that you understand now, about Soul Society, and Shinigamis, but I'm still not sure what you are, Naruto. I want to find out how you have travelled to this world, and more about this chakra you talk about. In exchange for shelter and food I hope you can allow me to test you." Kisuke asked, surprisingly eager to get on with finding out more about his theory; he hadn't been this excited since his Shinigami days.

Disappointed from not being able to wander around the town, Naruto complied. There was really nothing else he could do or go anyway. Besides Kisuke saved his life, two times to be precise, and Naruto's intuition told him that he didn't have any ill intention. Excluding his sense of direction, Naruto's gut feeling was mostly accurate.

He followed Kisuke to the back of the shop and down a ladder. A very very long ladder until they arrived in a large open cave like space that left him speechless.

"WOOAH, who would have thought there was such a big space under that small shop!?" Kisuke called out, mimicking Naruto's thoughts. Naruto sweat dropped from the sudden enthusiasm that emitted from Kisuke. He must have been really excited about this.

"Right, first thing I want to test is the limit of your soul. I noticed from earlier, you didn't have a chain of fate. As a normal human you should have one. The soul of humans that have died are called plus and even they have chain of fates that have been broken when they were separated from their bodies. Hollows, like the one you've seen this morning used to have a chain too, but theirs have corroded leaving a whole in their chests. Naruto, you however do not fall into any of these two categories. A shinigami is the closest you can get from what your soul looks like. Are you ready to test it out?" Kisuke explained.

"Hell yeah!" Naruto exclaimed extending his arms outwards.

Kisuke separated Naruto's soul and his body again using his cane, deepening the red mark on his forehead from before. He carried Naruto's real body to the side and placed him on the floor. He looked at Naruto, patiently waiting.

As expected, it didn't seem like he was in his Konpaku form; there were no signs of breathing difficulties or weakness. Naruto stood there unfazed just like any other Shinigami, but the spiritual energy of his soul was a little different. Kisuke concluded that Naruto already has some form of Shinigami powers and could proceed to the next level of training; controlling his reiatsu.

* * *

Naruto stood exhausted from the so called 'test'. Kisuke had made him fight a little girl. What was her name? Ururu or something. She reminded him of Hinata at first, but after she threw those punches Naruto couldn't help but think of Tsunade-baa chan. After being so close to getting hit because of his refusal to fight a girl, he learnt to never judge someone by how they look ever again.

In the ninja world, Naruto might have been able to defeat the girl, but without his jutsus he was left with taijutsu alone, but that didn't mean Naruto wasn't physically fit; he managed to land a few punches on her before Kisuke stopped them both.

Although Naruto did not have a chain of fate, or any signs of hollowfication , Kisuke noted he had a lot of stamina and speed, but his reiatsu was all over the place, it was a little suffocating for the others to stay too close. Not only that, Kisuke still wondered about Naruto's reiatsu; the colour of it was not only the colour of flames, but it had a darkness that was so similar to a hollow's.

Naruto waited for Kisuke to explain the next test, but suddenly he felt a throbbing pain in his chest. He steadied himself on his palms as he fell on his knees while the world around him started to swirl making his head ache in agony. He heard a thunderous voice shriek in his mind.

"Naruutoo.." the voice hissed out, in a sharp whisper that was unnaturally loud and audible.

Naruto looked up to Kisuke and the gang as they watched him bewildered. They clearly did not hear the voice that he had just heard. Naruto's vision started to get blurry as he felt something in his chest begin to consume him.

"AHHHH!" Whatever it was Naruto didn't like it; he gritted his teeth and refused the feeling to take control; breathing jagged but loud breaths. It felt similar to when Kyuubi no Kitsune tries to take over his body, yet it was still a different kind of feeling; more…more evil.

When Naruto had fallen on his knees Kisuke felt the small darkness in his reiatsu increase. The power was overwhelming they had to move back a few steps. Then he saw something that left even the genius, wide eyed and unable to speak. At the corner of Naruto's rising blonde hair tiny fragments of an orange mask was starting to form.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for the faves and follows :) Hope u enjoyed this chapter ;)

Next update may be a week later, as the weekends r oveeer :(

Oh as a reply to a review and others who may want to know, I don't plan on having any pairings in this story

Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 3: Bellow

**Chapter 3: Bellow**

It was impossible, but here he was watching it in front of his very own eyes. It wasn't impossible. Kisuke did not understand how Naruto could be turning into a hollow without a chain of fate.

In normal circumstances, one can only turn into a hollow when a human's soul has been separated from it's body and instead of being sent to Soul Society, the soul has stayed in the human world for too long due to their unfinished business. It usually takes years for their broken chain of fate to corrode turning them into a hollow with a hole in their chests…

But Naruto did not even have a chain of fate to begin with, yet he was turning into a hollow after staying out of his body for only approximately 24 hours; in other words just one day. Kisuke decided not to give 'how' it was possible much thought and contemplation; what was more important was that it was happening right now.

Kisuke saw that the transformation was out of sequence, seeing as the mask was forming before his body turned into a hollow, usually the soul explodes and regroups to form the hollow and then the mask forms. This was a good indication; it was a sign that Naruto was resisting the hollowfication. Still, Kisuke had to be prepared for the worse.

"Naruto. Do you hear me? Listen. You are becoming a hollow, you must fight it. Don't let whatever it is consume you. Understand?"

There was nothing he could do to help Naruto from the pain, but there were safety measures he could take to save Naruto's life. He wouldn't let the boy turn into a hollow after so many things he had learnt from him. There was still so much more he could find out. The possibility that a whole other universe existed that did not follow the rules of his known world was amazing.

Naruto was the only link to this world. Not only that, Kisuke liked the boy. Naruto radiated a lot of potential and he reminded him of someone he met a long time ago.

"Ururu, hurry up and prepare rescue operation, but don't start it yet. He's resisting it, let's watch him a little longer and see what happens. Just need an instant…"

Before Naruto had felt the world black out, the last thing he heard and saw was Kisuke. He heard Kisuke hurriedly telling him something about turning into a hollow and having to fight it. He tried to remember what it was exactly that Kisuke was trying to say, but there were other things that he should have been more worried about; the dark empty space he was in being the number one.

Naruto stood up in the ankle deep watery substance and somehow he felt like he had been in this place before. It smelled and felt familiar yet he couldn't grasp what about it was so familiar; how could he in a place so dark he could barely even see himself!

"Narutoo...do you want to live?" a hoarse voice spoke from behind him, echoing in the empty space.

Naruto snapped around, turning so fast his head started to rush. It was the same voice he heard when he felt the aching pain consuming him, but this time it was much closer and much louder. His first guess was the Kyuubi and that he was inside his mind again, in front of his cage, but somehow it just didn't sound like him.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Naruto asked in return rather than answering.

"Me? You already know me Naruto. NOW ANSWER MY QUESTION! Do you or do you not want to live?!" The voice roared back, getting seemingly impatient.

Naruto took a step back from the sudden gust of wind that came in the direction of the voice. Getting annoyed and impatient himself he screamed, "DUH! OF COURSE, I WANNA LIVE!"

A dark chuckle emitted from the darkness and two large slitted blood red eyes opened wide. "Not bad kit! Show me what you got!"

A burst of light blinded Naruto and a second later he found himself in an equally dark and large hallway leading up to many paths. At the end of each path was a cage with some form of light coming from inside, but there were too many paths and too many cages Naruto had to look away from all the small blinding light. Instead he looked down, at his feet. He was mortified when he saw the water that he was standing in had turned crimson. Or maybe he was standing in that this whole time?

The voice whispered again, brushing passed Naruto's ears making him shiver in uneasiness. "If you want to live, find me before the blood rises or you'll drown," the voice had whispered.

After seeing those red slitted eyes, Naruto was positive that it was the Kyuubi because there was no doubt that those eyes belonged to the fox. He believed that somehow he had been able to contact him again, but what was 'this' supposed to be, how was he supposed to find him?

Feeling the blood start to rise under his feet, Naruto started to panic. "STOP JOKING AROUND! HAY! I KNOW IT'S YOU KYUUBI! COME AND FACE ME YOU COWARD!"

He didn't know where to go and started running around in the hall and opening random cages. Each cage he opened was empty and the light they used to hold diminished into thin air like a lighted candle reaching the end's of it's wax. One by one, the cage's were opened as the void became darker and darker, yet Naruto did not find anything within.

"DAMN IT KYUUBI! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Naruto yelled, exasperated as the blood already reached his thighs and it was still rising, higher and higher. He could not see any more cages to open.

Was this really the end? What was going to happen? This couldn't possibly be happening, especially since it was the Kyuubi that had saved his life back in Konoha. Why was he trying to kill him now?! Nothing made sense, but Naruto didn't feel like dying, not anymore, he had already decided that he would return to Konoha and show everyone that he was not useless! He wasn't going to give up, but as he battled his will, he had no idea what he should do.

It became even harder to move when the blood reached his shoulders; Naruto had to result to using his hands to paddle. Feeling the cold blood surge around his body, Naruto started to sweat and fear for what was going to happen, until he felt something in the blood.

There was a cage! Fumbling he managed to open it and the blood gushed out, away from Naruto and the cage as it swirled around them and disappeared in a loud burst, leaving Naruto standing in the empty vastness. He stood there, staring at the opened cage exhausted. Inside it was the hilt of a sword.

"HAHAHAHA You found me kit! Now hurry up and pull me out and say my name before we both turn into a hollow!" The voice sounded more like Kyuubi now as he roared and hissed.

The floor started to shake as Naruto reached for the hilt. The moment he grabbed the hilt he felt the immense chakra from the Kyuubi rush into his hands and up his arms. He didn't understand what was going on, but somehow the chakra was warm and he felt himself gaining more and more energy as something came in his mind.

He didn't know how or who had done it, but someone had planted a name in his head. For some reason Naruto knew that it was Kyuubi's name and although he had never heard or said the name once, it slipped out of his tongue so naturally it felt like he had been calling the name for years.

"KURAMAAA!"

There was an explosion of light as Naruto pulled out the whole sword. He felt his tiredness drain away as he bathed in the light. It felt like he was just born again. A new feeling, a new being.

* * *

A/N: Hi guys. Sorry for the super super super super late update (Wasn't that a looong week?) lol jk T.T It's just I've been dying lately with school work. Currently nearing the end of the first year of the IB Program which is a very demanding course. If you don't believe me, google it. ,

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, because the next update will be...I dunno. We'll see ;)

Once again, thank you for reading and all that other stuffs. :D Let me know what you guys think!

Ciao~


	5. Chapter 4: Time Flies

**Chapter 4: Time Flies**

"Wake uuup!"

Naruto groaned as he covered his ears with the pillows. Living with this man was anything but peaceful. It had been about three years since he got here, but Naruto was still trying to adapt to the abnormal lifestyle of the blonde shopkeeper.

Ever since he got his shinigami powers and zanpakuto, Kisuke had been training him day and night. It had taken a couple of weeks for Naruto to get used to his training; using a katana was nothing similar to using a kunai, especially since his zanpakuto was twice as long and thrice as heavy.

Kurama in zanpakuto form was very unique; it was exceptionally thin yet long and sharp at the tip; the black and dark orange hilt was skillfully crafted and seemed to be made to fit in Naruto's hand. This wasn't anything unusual; Zanpakutos were almost always fit for their wielder. But what Kisuke noticed during training was that the sword seemed to somehow affect Naruto's reiatsu. During spars, every time the sword came to contact with Kisuke's, there was always a slight, almost unnoticeable tingle in the presence of the dark reiatsu. Kisuke had no idea what it meant or what it was exactly that caused it.

The first two weeks Naruto was trained to control his reiatsu as well as how to sense other people's. Naruto found that it was very similar to how ninjas mask their chakra presence, which of course Naruto, being the most conspicuous and loud ninja, found quite challenging.

The rest of the three years Kisuke taught Naruto everything about shinigamis from the rules of soul society to the strategies and techniques of shinigamis. It wasn't easy, but all the training made Naruto physically and mentally more fit. Training always left Naruto exhausted, making him capable of eating more than he already was, which resulted in an abnormal spurt of growth. Naruto was now almost as tall as his guardian, which was a surprise considering how small he had been when he was first found on the road.

The wooden sliding door slammed open as Kisuke came in. He slowly walked over to the futon, grabbing a fist of the blanket and threw the covers violently away from the younger blonde who groaned in response and brought his arms over his head to shield himself from the light.

Using his cane to continuously poke Naruto in the head Kisuke amused himself with the various types of grunts and groans he received.

"ALRIGHT! I'M UP ALREADY, SO STOP POKING ME!"

"Breakfast is ready."

* * *

"HighShchool?" Naruto asked in between mouthfuls of ramen. "What's that?"

"A place where idiots like you gather in hopes of becoming less stupid." Kisuke replied curtly.

Naruto stopped slurping down his ramen and eyed Kisuke suspiciously.

"Really? Does such a place even exist?"

Kisuke sighed. "School Naruto. It's a school. I'm sure even ninjas went to school before."

"OH, like the academy! With teachers and stuff!" Naruto thought aloud, remembering the times back in Konoha academy with Iruka-sensei. Suddenly feeling home sick he put down his chopsticks. "So? What about it?"

"I enrolled you in one. I thought you should learn more about this world first hand. It'll be a good experience and-Naruto, where are you going?"

"Just taking a walk outside."

Naruto left the candy shop and walked out the main street. Why'd he have to go to school? He didn't particularly have fond memories back in the academy. Apart from Iruka-sensei there wasn't much he really wanted to remember.

Three years, Naruto thought. _I wonder what they're all up to._

* * *

_~In Konoha~_

The Hokage slammed the desk angrily as she heard the Anbu's report. It's been three years since Naruto's disappearance and there was still no sign of the blonde ninja. When Kakashi found the unconscious Sasuke and brought him back he had told Tsunade that Sasuke was alone. Even after immediately sending the top search squad to look for Naruto, there were no traces of where the blonde might have gone.

"You may leave," she told the Anbu. The two masked Anbu bowed politely and left with a poof of smoke.

Tsunade ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. She was worried sick for Naruto and the elders starting rumors that he may have joined forces with Orochimaru made her angrier than ever. She knew Naruto would never betray Konoha. It had to be that either Orochimaru somehow got his hands on him or that he may have…Tsunade didn't want to think about it. She missed Naruto so much, he was like a brother to her. She took a deep breathe to calm her headache.

A voice from the window brought her back to her senses. "Finally getting old?"

She snapped her head to the right and sent death glares at her intruder who calmly climbed in through the window frame.

"Jiraiya, can't you come through the door like a normal person!?"

The white haired sannin chuckled and put his hands up in defense. "Well, I'm not exactly a normal person am I?"

His face slowly straightened and in a serious tone said; "Tsunade, I think I might know what happened to the gaki."

* * *

"ACHOO!" Naruto sniffled as he rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. It was still pretty cold out so he decided to return to the candy shop and upon entering Kisuke had shoved a bunch of clothes at him.

"This is called a uniform" he explained holding up one of the white buttoned shirt and grey pants.

Naruto wrinkled his nose and held the uniform. "What for?" he asked, extending his hands to hold the clothes as if they were poisonous far away from him. He didn't like the dull greyness of the outfit. Even if Naruto had matured the past three years his love for the colour orange still remained, albeit a little more toned down in the fact that he didn't wear his hideous orange jumpsuit anymore. Not that he could even if he wanted to; he had long outgrown it.

"You are required to wear a uniform in High School. Hurry up and get dressed or you'll be late for your first day."

"What? I have to go starting today? But I thought I was training today?"

"This is also training." Kisuke replied pushing Naruto into his room.

Back in his room Naruto stared at the long sleeved white button shirt and the red tie. He was never good with ties, he always managed to get himself tangled in a mess. He flung the two away and decided to wear his favourite dark orange t-shirt underneath the gray jacket as he remembered seeing some students wear their uniforms the same way. It probably doesn't matter he thought and he quickly pulled up the grey pants.

Naruto walked back out ignoring the look Kisuke gave him when he saw what he was wearing and went to sit at the breakfast table. Kisuke slid Naruto a bag and some books and told him a couple of things about the school normal humans go to.

Naruto took the information in like a sponge and left for school. He didn't even know where it was but he figured if he followed the people wearing the same uniform he'd eventually get there.

Without realizing Naruto was following the couple of seniors that liked to pick on the juniors, especially those who dare to dye their hair without their permission. Of course Naruto being naturally blonde became a target. They had noticed Naruto following them and lead him to the back entrance of the school.

Naruto looked around, confused that no one else was coming this way until he found himself surrounded by the guys he was following. He raised an eyebrow.

"Hey brat, haven't seen you around before. New around here?" They asked, sounding not very friendly.

Naruto scratched the back of his head remembering Kisuke telling him to keep a low profile and not getting into any unnecessary fights. He slowly stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Uh, ya. I'm a transfer. From overseas." He replied. It wasn't the truth but it wasn't a lie either.

"You speak pretty good Japanese for a foreigner. You sure you're not Japanese?" The big guy said inching closer. Naruto noticed the unusual number of piercings on the guys ears and nose. The others behind him snickered.

Naruto frowned. "I'm pretty sure." He didn't like where this was going, these guys needed to cool their heads.

As the big guy brought his fist back prepared to punch, Naruto took a step back ready to dodge. But the fist never reached him as an even bigger guy with dark skin and brown hair came out of nowhere and kicked the other round in the face. Naruto sweat dropped at the dramatic entrance.

He felt a hand on his shoulder as an orange haired student around Naruto's age and height walked up grinning, not leaving his eyes off the guy with piercings; "We'll take care of this."

Naruto watched as he cracked his knuckles.

* * *

A/N: Yay finally got this chap done (it's a bit longer than the others :). I was debating whether I should have a time skip and in the end I decided to go ahead with it. I didn't want to bore you all with the training.

Next Chapter: Naruto finally meets Ichigo and the gang!

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed :) Also thanks for all the nice reviews and faves and follows and all that stuffss :D Tell me what you guys think of this chapter!

In reply to Guest DARX26's review: Definitely up till Aizen's arc. I don't want all the fullbring powers and substitute shinigami stuff confusing the main plot xD Of course it'll be very different from the original story.


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